Ten relevant news updates from across the world, useful for examinations
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Headlines - 21 - 06 - 2021
- Infrastructure - Inland Vessel Bill 2021 - The Union Cabinet approved the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021, to replace the Inland Vessels Act, 1917. The Bill will regulate safety, security and registration of inland vessels, and be a unified law for the entire country, instead of separate rules framed by the States. A central database for recording the details of vessel, vessel registration, crew on an electronic portal will be created. All non-mechanically propelled vessels will also have to be enrolled at the district, taluk or panchayat or village level. It enlarges the definition of ‘inland waters’, by including tidal water limit and national waterways, and also deals with pollution control measures of Inland Vessels. It directs the Central Government to designate a list of chemicals, substances, etc. as pollutants.
- Governance and Institutions - India’s anaemia situation - The National Family Health Survey - 5 (NFHS-5) data shows India’s anaemia situation has remained unchanged from the high prevalence of nearly 60% reported in the NFHS-4 survey (2015). It indicated there was a high anaemic population of Indian women and children that didn't respond to various iron supplementation and food fortification programs implemented in the last five years. The WHO haemoglobin (Hb) diagnostic cut-off to diagnose anaemia is 12 gm/decilitre for women, and between 11 and 12 gm/decilitre at different ages for boys and girls. The fear that anaemia is being over-diagnosed in India due to an inappropriately high WHO cut-off, and the assertion for the need for re-examining this Hb cut-off, may be wrong. That scepticism came from researchers using data from "Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS)" carried out in 2016-18 (by the Health Ministry in collaboration with UNICEF and the Population Council). CNNS is an exhaustive and quality-controlled survey that measures a number of biomarkers of health and nutrition with great precision in venous blood sampled from a very large number of children across India. The prevalence of anaemia in these children was 35%, when using the WHO cut-off, lower than what the NFHS surveys have found. If the proposed anaemia cut-offs were used, the burden of anaemia in Indian children would fall from present value (35%) to one-third (11%).
- Science and Technology - Human DNA-inspired storage system - MIT researchers are working on a storage system that can hold ample data, without taking much space, inspired by the human DNA. So, a device the size of a coffee mug full of DNA could potentially store all of the world’s data. There are about 10 trillion gigabytes (GB) of digital data on Earth right now. Every day, another 2.5 million GB of data are added, consuming a lot of space as they are stored in enormous facilities known as exabyte data centers which can be the size of several football fields and cost around $1 billion to build and maintain. the advantages are that as human DNA doesn’t consume any energy, the data written on the DNA can be stored forever. Extreme stability, ease of synthesis and sequencing are other factors that favour DNA-based storage. Challenges in using DNA to store data include the cost of DNA synthesis and pulling out the vital file from the massive data repository. The MIT team developed a new retrieval technique to pull out the required data, involving encapsulating each DNA file into a small silica particle. Each capsule is labeled with single-stranded DNA “barcodes” that correspond to the contents of the file. This enables them to pull out the desired file while leaving the rest of the DNA intact to be put back into storage.
- Governance and Institutions - Indian Certification of Medical Devices Plus Scheme - The ICMED 13485 PLUS scheme was launched by the Quality Council of India (QCI) and Association of Indian Manufacturers of Medical Devices (AiMeD). It adds more features to the ICMED the Scheme launched for Certification of Medical Devices in 2016. The ICMED Plus will verify the quality, safety and efficacy of medical devices, and integrate the Quality Management System components and product related quality validation processes through witness testing of products with reference to the defined product standards and specifications. Association of Healthcare Providers (AHPI) will encourage implementation of ICMED Plus. Importance is that it is the first scheme around the world in which quality management systems along with product certification standards are integrated with regulatory requirements.
- Healthcare and Medicine - Sickle Cell anaemia - The Minister of Tribal Affairs inaugurated the Second National Sickle Cell Conclave on ‘Sickle Cell Disease’. The Conclave is being held to mark the World Sickle Cell Day observed on 19thJune 2021 every year. It is characterized by a modification in the shape of the red blood cell from a smooth, donut-shape into a crescent or half-moon shape. These cells lack plasticity and can block small blood vessels, impairing blood flow. This condition leads to shortened red blood cell survival, and subsequent anaemia, often called sickle-cell anaemia. This leads to chronic acute pain syndromes, severe bacterial infections, and necrosis (tissue death). Anaemia is a medical condition in which the red blood cell count or hemoglobin is less than normal. Symtoms of anemia include Fatigue, Shortness of breath, Hair loss etc.
- Defence and Military - IN-EUNAVFOR naval exercise in the Gulf of Aden - The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Trikand, a mission deployed for anti-piracy operations, participated in the maiden IN–EUNAVFOR Joint Naval Exercise in the Gulf of Aden. A total of five warships from four navies participated in the exercise on 18th and 19th June 2021 coordinated by European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR). The Gulf of Aden is also known as the Gulf of Berbera, and is a deepwater gulf between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, Socotra (Yemen), and Somalia to the south. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and it connects with the Arabian Sea to the east. To the west, it narrows into the Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti. The waterway is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean, with 21,000 ships crossing the gulf annually. Important cities along the Gulf of Aden include the namesake Aden in Yemen. Other Yemeni cities are Zinjibar, Shuqrah, Ahwar, Balhaf, Mukalla. On the Horn of Africa side, the cities of Djibouti, Berbera, and Bosaso.
- Indian Economy - The Cable TV Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021 - The Central Government amended the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 to provide a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances and complaints of citizens relating to content broadcast by television channels in accordance with the provisions of the Cable Television Network Act, 1995. The Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021, provides for a three-level grievance redressal mechanism — self-regulation by broadcasters, self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters, and oversight by an Inter-Departmental Committee at the level of the Centre. A viewer could file a complaint directly to the broadcaster, who would have to respond within 15 days. If the complainant was not satisfied with the response, the complaint could be escalated to the self-regulating bodies set up by TV channels, which should deal with the case in 60 days. If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision of the self-regulating body, he may, within 15 days of such decision, prefer an appeal to the Central government for its consideration under the Oversight Mechanism. Such appeals would be dealt with by the Inter-Departmental Committee set up under the Oversight Mechanism.
- Indian Economy - Udyog Aadhar Memorandum (UAM) - The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises extended validity of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum from 31st March, 2021 to 31st December, 2021. The Ministry had in September 2015 notified Udyog Aadhaar to ensure ease of registration and wider coverage of MSMEs to avail the benefits under various Schemes of Central/ State governments. Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM) can be filled online on the portal created by Ministry of MSME. UAM is a one-page registration form which constitutes a self-declaration format under which the MSME will self-certify its existence, bank account details, promoter/owner’s Aadhaar details and other minimum information required. There shall be no fee for filing the Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum. On submission of the form, Udyog Aadhaar Acknowledgement shall be generated and mailed to the email address provided in the Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum which shall contain unique Udyog Aadhaar Number (UAN).
- Environment and Ecology - PUC certificate - The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) notified a common format for issuance of PUC (Pollution under Control) certificates across the country, under Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, and linking of PUC database with the National Register. The concept of Rejection slip is being introduced. This document can be shown at the service centre for getting the vehicle serviced or can be used, in case the PUCC centre device is not working properly when tested at another centre. There will be confidentiality of information viz. (i) Vehicle owner’s mobile number, name and address (ii) engine number and chassis number (only the last four digits to be visible, the other digits shall be masked). The owner’s mobile number has been made mandatory, on which an SMS alert will be sent for validation and fee. Enforcement would be IT-enabled and would help in better control over polluting vehicles. The QR code shall be printed on the form. It will contain the complete information about the PUC Centre.
- World Economy - Bitcoin gets another jolt - The world's largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin fell 5.5% to $34,142 on 20th June as China ordered the closure of crypto mining projects amid concerns about energy usage. The hashrate in China started dropping significantly after the mines were closed. The drop was also seen after DeFi token TITAN crashed 100% on 17th June, raising potential regulatory scrutiny. The constant fluctuations in Bitcoin's value is creating a serious problem for investors and analysts alike, though the crypto-believers say the long-term scenario remains bright.
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